"Let's go outside? Outside? Please?"

It's not that I'm a mean person. And It's certainly not that I enjoy watching people beg. It's just that going outside with Dawson wasn't at the top of my agenda. Sylvia had just left for a week of study a few hours away, and I was feeling the weight of taking care of him all week, and covering all the other normal duties as well.

We made our way to the backyard, and it hit me- This was likely the last nice day of the year- we weren't even wearing jackets. After a windy weekend, there was a fresh layer of crisp leaves on the ground. We began playing with his bucket of balls, and sliding down the play structure. But the real fun began when he realized that there were so many leaves. I mean, who comes up with the best entertainment than God Himself. It wasn't long before we were laughing so hard, that he could barely stay sitting without falling over. We did this for a good while. Later, Auntie L came by and enjoyed the moment with us. These moments were the definition of joy.

I learned a few key personal lessons that day, not the least of which is this; It's never the wrong time to do the right thing. We're all busy. We all have things that should have been done yesterday. But what would I have missed that day?

So here I am, a week later, with this great reminder of the experience, and what do you know, there's snow on the ground! It's a good thing I took the time. But hey, that means now we'll have to start making snow memories, right? Enjoy your day. -t

A miracle

Dawson survived his opthamologist appointment quite well. Thank you for your prayers! We certainly felt them, as he only expressed his hunger for the first time when we arrived at the hospital. Now, this is very unusual for Dawson! The room Dawson was given provided us with privacy and a TV and DVD player. Some movies from home really helped the situation.

We struggled when we heard him say "Ow" when the medication first entered his body to sedate him, then about 5 seconds later, his eyes closed. That was pretty wierd!

The way coolest thing about the whole appointment is the Dr., who has known Dawson for longer than we have, was completely shocked. His prescription in his worst eye is 1/2 the prescription reading that he has always gotten. This means, either the Doctor got the prescription wrong about 6 - 8 times in the past, or God performed a miracle and healed his eye! None the less, Dawson can see much better with the one eye than we had anticipated, though his eyesight is not good in either eye, one was not far off from blindness.

Is this why he has been so aggressive - maybe his depth perception is off, or maybe he has headaches? Who knows. I guess, we'll find out when the new lenses are made in about 2 weeks!

Thanks for your prayers! -s

School's in!

Many of you have been checking our blog, and, unfortunately, we haven't been doing our part in keeping it updated. We apologize for this. Life goes on, and, unfortunately, blogging is not at the top of the priority list.

Dawson continues to love school. He has five excellent EA's this year, and has started attending his grade 1 classroom. His classroom teacher explained at our meeting last week, that whenever Dawson joins the classroom, they stop what they're doing and begin singing. She has quickly learned how to connect with him. Of course, he loves this! He is so blessed!

He is now in school for full days, so he can join in the afternoon activities. They do incredibly fun stuff! The Special Ed students go horsebackriding one afternoon a week, go shopping, tour places, etc. They always have something fun, yet educational or therapeutic, planned for every afternoon. Dawson responds excellent to horses. His language fluorishes when he's on a horse. Full sentences come out when he's riding (we think they're not echolalia, but not sure). None the less, he sits on the horse for about 20 minutes completely engaged.

As a prayer request, we ask you to pray for him next week Wednesday. He will be consciously sedated to allow the Pediatric Opthamologist to take a decent look at his eyes. As you probably recall, Dawson has ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity) which basically means that his retina can detach at any moment. If this happened, he would likely become blind unless we caught it within a few hours. Knowing him, he's not the type to say: "Hey mom, my eye's blurry!"

At our quarterly appointments, it's an enormous challenge to be successful in determining the state of his retina (and his prescription). Therefore, sedation is necessary. Our greatest concern is that he cannot eat or drink from 6:30am that day till 11:30 am. Anyone who knows Dawson well knows this will be a huge challenge! Please pray for Dawson to not feel hungry or thirsty that morning, and for patience and distraction opportunities for us!

Thank you for your prayers regarding this and your interest in our lives! God bless!

Impulse Control

Okay. In the middle of a lack of impulse control stretch here. Sometimes it feels as though Dawson is a medical experiment when it comes to the meds that are prescribed to him. He was showing a real increase in aggression. So the Dr. prescribed a change, which was so disastrous that after three ruthless days of 1, 2, 3 hour meltdowns, we took him off of the med. Fortunately those intense meltdowns stopped, but we're kinda back to square 1 here. So the aggression is back, and he seems to not be able to control his impulses at all. But you know, we know that we're in good hands- in God's hands. It's nice holding such a strong Hand. -t

God's blessings

God is faithful! Thank goodness He is in charge of our lives.

Terry and I went on a trip a few weeks ago, and standing at the top of the tallest building in the city, we looked down at all the moving dots below us. We reflected that God, from much higher than we were, looks down at all of those 'dots' and knows each one by name. He knows the crosswalk coming up in front of them, even though they can't see it because their path is crowded by other pedestrians. When the time is necessary, He allows them to see the crosswalk and pass. This has been such comfort to us as we await His leading in our lives. We can't see the future clearly, but we know He can and He will not forget about us!

God has blessed us with our need for two new excellent respite workers. Although Dawson will certainly miss the other two very important people in his life, God will give him strength. He also has blessed us to be part of a marvellous school division which is willing to be accommodating to his needs. One example of their excellent care is that the school is allowing him to spend some time in school during the summer, so as to be as consistent as possible in his programming. We have so much to be thankful for!

On the other hand, Dawson is struggling with a major medication change. His hitting has really increased in severity and frequency, likely due to the change. He is getting really strong - take a look at his calves - so this makes any contact with him more intense. The psychiatrist is currently recommending Dawson not spend time with other children due to his frequent hitting. This is hard to take, but we need to be really careful with whom he socializes at this point. Even though we don't like the recommendation, we can see the need for it. It's not fair to the other kids to be whacked unnecessarily.

Nonetheless, God is still in control and He knows what He's doing and He will give us the wisdom to work appropriately with Dawson! He will not give us more than we can handle! So, on we go! -s

Cry out to Jesus

Well, this is about as low as it gets. Every once in a while (3-4x per month), Dawson gets up this early. Not always this early, but today it just seems extra hard to take. 3:00 is a normal time for him to come to our bed every night, but today, as is the case once in a while, I knew by his wiggling, talking and hitting, that he was up for good.
My faith is being stretched, as I contemplate why God allows this to happen. Or why his little body can't comprehend that it needs more rest.
And the thing is, he keeps wanting to go back to bed, but not five minutes late, is up, wanting out of his room. In seemingly entire aloneness. I have no choice, but to trust God's hand- that this is somehow for His glory.
The words that are of strength to me right now at 3:30, 3:45, 3:48- are the words from a Third Day song- but they could just as well come right out of Scripture- "There is hope for the hopeless, rest for the weary and love for the broken heart. There is mercy and par den, grace and forgiveness, to meet you wherever you are. Cry out to Jesus. Cry out to Jesus." That's what I'm doing. -t

How's your summer going?

Hey everyone. Here's a quick shout out to all you friends and family out there. We hope your summer is going well, and that you are finding time to relax.
Dawson is seemingly not complaining about his summer- why should he? He's averaging 3-4 swimming times per week, not to mention the times with the mini pool and sprinkler in the back yard. Oh to be young again!
We're busy contemplating the future, as both workers B and C will be moving on this fall. They have both been a complete blessing to Dawson and us, with their hard work (more on a tribute to them in the near future). We are praying and looking for at least 2 workers. We ask that you pray with us in this matter, as not just anyone can regularly do that type of work.
Otherwise, the summer is moving along as usual- I like the cool rainy days, and Sylvia prefers the heat and sun. We are also on the cusp of a potential move towards ministry for me, and will be able to update that shortly.
Thanks to all for your prayers. We love you all. -t